Lady In Red
by DopeyPixie
Summary: 'There is no definition of beauty, but when you can see someone's spirit coming through, something unexplainable, that's beautiful to me.' Liv Tyler


A/N 1: This is my first Criminal Minds story, though I've been writing for years. I don't watch Criminal Minds as much as most of you probably do so it's quite possible the characters will be out of character. Also, English isn't my mother tongue so I'm sorry if there are any spelling/grammar mistakes.  
This is just a one shot, based on the song ''Lady in Red'' by Chris de Burgh. I don't own that song either.

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A/N 2: I DO NOT OWN THIS SHOW

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''I'm chasing perfection.'' Kobe Bryant

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Derek Morgan readjusted his tie as he walked into the bar. He looked around; it was rather crowded compared to usual.

It was a dark bar, a few tables and a reasonable size dance floor. The kind of bar that has slow, romantic music, that serves wine rather than what ever gets you drunk the fastest. The kind of bar where you could find someone to spend more than just one night with. Not the kind of place people would expect him to go to, people always thought that he'd rather go to a club with loud music, everybody spilling drinks because they're too drunk to know what they're doing.

He didn't dislike those places, in his opinion it was just what he needed every once in a while. To just be able to get drunk, and get some drunk girl to go home with him. Only to leave her disappointed when the next morning, when she's a little more sober, she realizes that the hot guy she'd just slept with doesn't want to go out with her again. Or any other woman for that matter.

There's only one woman of which Derek Morgan could say that he wanted to go out with, just one. The one woman who he wanted more than anything else in the world didn't want him. She was one of the very few who didn't want him.

But he couldn't blame her. She was funny, beautiful, smart... She was everything... she is everything, she is perfection. Nobody could ever be good enough for her; nobody could ever equal how perfect she is. How damn perfect Penelope Garcia is.

Definitely not the guy she had dated for a couple of years, 'thank God they broke up', Derek thought as he found a vacant barstool. He ordered a drink and looked around again. He knew he couldn't have the real deal... perhaps he could find someone like her. Someone who wouldn't be near as smart, funny and beautiful as Penelope, but who'd want him. Who'd love him... Sure, Penelope loved him... as a friend. In a strictly platonic way.

Sure, they flirted like teenagers all day, every day. But every time he hinted that he wanted something more than that she took it as a joke. She didn't see how serious he was about wanting to be with her, she didn't see the pain on his face after she turned him down and left. She didn't see any of it...

He had to find a way to show her how much she really meant to him, he had been wrecking his brains out over this for weeks; ever since she broke up with Kevin. And yet, nothing. It had to be romantic, look a little spontaneous and it had to convince her that he is the one for her. The one person who can give her all that she needs, everything she wants.

He couldn't just walk up to her and say, ''by the way, I'm in love with you.'' She deserved better than that, she deserved the best. And that was what he was trying to give to her, a perfect moment. A moment in which she didn't have to think about anything other than them being together, madly in love for the rest of their lives. He wanted it to be a fairytale moment, a beautiful story they could one day tell their children to make them realize dreams really can come true.

But perfection doesn't come easy. You have to plan it out carefully, yet make it look like it wasn't planned at all. You have to make an ordinary moment the most special moment in somebody's life.

Derek sighed. 'Yup, this isn't going to be easy.' He thought to himself. He ordered a chardonnay and sat quiet, drinking in perfect silence trying to think of a way to do this properly. He had waited long enough, he had waited through her relationship with Kevin, he had waited through her 'rebound period' and now he had had enough. He was done with waiting.

All he had to do was...

He couldn't even finish his thought, in the corner of his eye he saw the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He turned his head to take a better look, and so did everybody else for that matter.

It was her, dressed in a beautiful red dress leaving everybody speechless. Her long, blonde, curly hair made her look like an angel, that was the only way he could describe the way she looked.

She had always been beautiful but there was something different right now, she looked confident. Sort of a rare thing for her, and he knew it. She had always been a bit shy, rather looking at everybody from a distance and staying away from the spotlight. But now... she was the center of attention, the way she looked demanded a spotlight.

He watched her as she walked a little further into the bar on her high heels that matched her dress. He looked at all the people who were doing the exact same thing, all the guys whose eyes said: 'be mine', and all the women whose eyes said: 'I wish I were you'.

It was like he was seeing a whole new her, a new part of her. A part she usually kept away from other people, a piece that was only hers. Even during those rare moments when she let her guard down completely, he didn't see this part of her.

It made her feel like he hardly knew her, for a moment. He knew she was still the same Penelope, the same person she had been during all the years they had been friends, but different. He couldn't explain the feeling he felt. Instead of it making him nervous, afraid that maybe he didn't know her as well as he thought, he felt like it made him fall even more in love with her.

And he had fallen hard, years ago. He had never loved anybody more than he loved her, he had never cared for anybody more than he cared for her.

And it was right there and then that he knew exactly what he was going to do, he was going to create a moment. He was going to create a fairytale story that they could tell their children, their grandchildren. It was the kind of story that their grandchildren would tell their children. It was going to be beautiful, he just knew it.

He looked at the bar tender, ''can I request a song?'' He asked, hoping that his plan, the only plan he could come up with, would work.  
''Sure, what do you have in mind?'' The bar tender asked as he opened the playlist on a small computer on the other side of the bar.

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Penelope looked around at all the people staring at her, as soon as her eyes met theirs they'd look away. But never for long, she knew they couldn't keep their eyes off of her. And right now she loved that, even if it made her feel a bit uncomfortable.

Usually she'd shy away, trying to stay away from the spotlight. If she stayed away from other people, observing them instead of being part of the group, she couldn't get hurt. They couldn't reject her if she didn't even try to be part of their little group.

Her usual extremely bold outfits showed a lot of confidence, they said: 'I'm so confident, you can't hurt me'. It helped keep people at a safe distance, it got her through her days.

But it wasn't enough, she had gotten so used to the idea of keeping people away as far as possible that she wanted to try something different; and that was why she had choosen this dress.

It was still bold but instead of it keeping people away, it drew people a little closer. Making them want to take a second look at her. It gave her a sense of power, like she had control over her life. Her other outfits might help her get through her days, now she was going to actually live her life.

She was going to change her life tonight, though she didn't yet know how. It was just a gut feeling, after tonight things would never be the same again. The 'never' part kind of scared her but she wasn't going to let it show.

As she made her way to the dance floor she got asked to dance, several times, but one look at those guys and she knew they weren't the right guys to change her life with. It didn't feel right, no initial sense of 'you're the right kind of person for me'. At least, it didn't feel that way for her, the looks on their faces told a different story.

She almost felt bad that she had to turn them all down, but right now she had to choose what was best for her.

And then there was that light tap on her shoulder, she was already preparing to turn down yet another guy when she saw his face. ''Derek,'' just saying his name made both of them smile.

She was both glad and sad to see him here. Glad because it felt comfortable, sad because it reminded her of the life she was trying to leave behind and somehow he had crept right back in.

It took her a second to see that something was different about him, he looked dead serious. ''Are you okay?'' She asked worriedly.

He didn't even answer her, just pulled her closer. ''Would you like to dance?'' He asked her softly in her ear.  
''Sure,'' she answered, not seeing the harm. What could it hurt, she'd just start her new life a little later. After Derek had left with some tramp. Didn't he realize he deserved better than that?

She took a step backwards, keeping her distance so people didn't think they belonged together and he could still find a girl to take home. But he just pulled her closer again.

''If you want to take some girl home tonight you're not supposed to make them believe that we're together. Which means you'll have to keep your distance.'' She told him. She looked up at his face and saw the hurt look. ''What's wrong?''

''I don't want to take just any girl home, I want you. For tonight, for the rest of our lives.''

The words shocked her. She watched him make a gesture at the bar tender and a different song started playing.

_I've never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight,_  
_I've never seen you shine so bright,_

She recognized the words, it was a song nobody knew she loved.  
Morgan pulled away and they both walked to the dance floor where he took her in his arms again.

_I've never seen so many men ask you if you wanted to dance,_  
_They're looking for a little romance, given half a chance,_  
_And I have never seen that dress you're wearing,_  
_Or the highlights in your hair that catch your eyes,_  
_I have been blind;_

Penelope looked up at him. She felt like she had found what she had been looking for. With his arms around her she felt like she was loved, like she was home.

_The lady in red is dancing with me, cheek to cheek,_  
_There's nobody here, it's just you and me,_  
_It's where I want to be,_  
_But I hardly know this beauty by my side,_  
_I'll never forget the way you look tonight;_

She swallowed hard as she felt his hot breath on the side on her face. It made her feel safe, as if she'd always stay in his arms like this. That he'd protect her from the rest of the world._  
_

_I've never seen you looking so gorgeous as you did tonight,_  
_I've never seen you shine so bright, you were amazing,_  
_I've never seen so many people want to be there by your side,_  
_And when you turned to me and smiled, it took my breath away,_  
_And I have never had such a feeling,_  
_Such a feeling of complete and utter love, as I do tonight;_

''You look beautiful,'' she heard him say.  
''Well, thank you,'' she said. Though all the looks and stares she'd been getting had already made her know she looked beautiful it was always nice to hear it. Especially from somebody like Derek who could get any girl he wanted. ''You don't look so bad yourself.'' She added with a smile.

_The lady in red is dancing with me, cheek to cheek,_  
_There's nobody here, it's just you and me,_  
_It's where I want to be,_  
_But I hardly know this beauty by my side,_  
_I'll never forget the way you look tonight;_

While listening to the song Derek knew he had succeeded, he had created a moment. All eyes were on them, they looked perfect together. Now he just had to tell her how much he loves her, how much she means to him, how she makes him fall in love with her more and more every day without even trying. Just by being herself.

_I never will forget the way you look tonight._  
_The lady in red, the lady in red,_  
_The lady in red, my lady in red,_

As the song was coming to an end he realized how much he didn't want to let her go. She felt her pull away a little but he held her close, if it were up to him they could stand there all night. Never leaving each others arms. If that was what he had to do to be with her, he'd do it.

He'd climb a million mountains, walk thousands of miles. If that was what it took to proof to her how much he loved her, it was worth it.

''I love you,'' he said quietly in her ear.  
''I love you too,'' she just said, as if it were nothing.

He pulled away, taking a step back so he could look her in the eyes. ''No, I mean I really love you. Not just as co-workers, not just as friends. I love you as in I want to spend the rest of my life with you, I want to marry you, have kids with you. I want us to grow old together,'' he said, talking fast, wondering if he had found the right words to make clear what he wanted for them.

He could see tears well up in her eyes, ''I love you too,'' she said in a whisper, trying to control her emotions.  
A large smile appeared on his face as he took her back in his arms and kissed her.

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Please review.


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